Tar Heels Search Continues, State Wades In, And BC Hires A Rising Star

RALEIGH, NC - FEBRUARY 17: Head coach Will Wade of the NC State Wolfpack and Head coach Hubert Davis of the UNC Tar Heels meet before the college basketball game between the UNC Tar Heels and the NC State Wolfpack on February 17, 2026 at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N. C. (Photo by Nicholas Faulkner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images It’s been an interesting few days in the Triangle.

First, UNC made a huge break with tradition and fired Hubert Davis, a member of Dean Smith’s family system, and Will Wade bailed on NC State after just a year on the job. Let’s start with State, where fans are livid. Well, with all due respect: what did they think they were getting with Wade?

State fans and boosters pushed hard for Wade last spring, and they got him. Him and all his baggage. For all the excitement State fans had about getting Wade last year, they knew they were getting a con man.

A charismatic con man to be sure, but a con man nonetheless. And the reason why con men can do their work so well is because their marks want to be conned. And State fans certainly wanted to be conned.